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Cleveland Cavaliers Rule Out Starter vs Philadelphia 76ers

The Cavaliers will be down Evan Mobley against the 76ers.
Justin Grasso|
Mar 29, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) drives to the basket between Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) and center Mo Bamba (5) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Mar 29, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) drives to the basket between Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) and center Mo Bamba (5) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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On Friday night in South Philly, the Philadelphia 76ers will host the Cleveland Cavaliers for their third matchup this season. The game will lack some key players.

The Cavaliers are going to roll without their starting big man, Evan Mobley.

According to the official NBA injury report, Mobley is dealing with a right calf strain. It’s a setback that’s been lingering for some time now.

Over the past three games, the Cavaliers have played without Mobley in the mix. When the Cavs took on the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 18, it was the first Mobley-less matchup since December 13.

The Cavaliers collected a seven-point win over Minnesota.

In the following game, the Cavs hosted the Phoenix Suns. Without Mobley, they dominated and collected a 26-point victory.

Cleveland’s latest matchup came against the Houston Rockets. The Cavs hit the road and ended up taking on a one-point loss, snapping a two-game win streak.

Friday’s absence will mark the fourth in a row for Mobley. Without him, the Cavaliers are 4-1 on the year.

On the other side, the Sixers are going to miss their starting big man as well. Joel Embiid has been ruled out for his 10th game in a row as he deals with knee swelling.

This season, the Sixers only had 13 chances to play with Embiid. When he was on the court, they won more than half of their games. Without him, the Sixers are just 8-21 this season.

In addition to Embiid, the Sixers will miss the veteran center Andre Drummond, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, KJ Martin, and the rookie Jared McCain.

Both times the Sixers and the Cavs met this year, Philadelphia found itself taking on losses. At this point, the Cavs have built a three-game win streak over the 76ers.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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